You don't have to search far for reasons to lambaste the Dallas Cowboys for trading Micah Parsons. Ironically, Jerry Jones may have inadvertently ushered in a new era where even elite edge defenders are no longer considered untouchable.
Since then, Maxx Crosby was nearly dealt to Baltimore before the Ravens backed out over concerns about his knee. And on Monday, the Browns traded Myles Garrett to the Super-Bowl-hungry Rams, who are still reeling from a heartbreaking loss to the eventual champion Seattle Seahawks in the NFC title game.
Any time an elite EDGE is dealt, it will be compared to the Parsons trade. That's just how the cookie crumbles. A first glance at the Browns' haul for Garrett confirms what Cowboys fans have strongly felt the moment Parsons was shipped to Green Bay: Jerry Jones didn't get nearly enough.
Myles Garrett trade reinforces that the Dallas Cowboys didn't get enough for Micah Parsons
Verse equals a first-round pick on his own, but you can still argue that's not even enough for Garrett, who's going to stroll into the Pro Football Hall of Fame the second he's eligible. And yet it's more than the Cowboys received for Parsons, who may not be Garrett's equal, but is already building a Hall of Fame resume just five years into his career.
Of course, Dallas dealt Parsons to the Packers for a 2026 first-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, and veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark. At face value, there is no comparing what Jerry Jones got for Parsons to what the Browns got for Garrett.
Even when you dig deeper -- and consider that the Rams are getting Garrett at $33 million per year while Green Bay had to sign Parsons to a market-setting extension -- the Cowboys got fleeced. Yes, they've rebounded admirably, but value is value.
While Clark played well in his first year in Dallas, he turns 31 in October, so it's fair to question how many years of good football he's got left. He was the player Jerry Jones wanted, more so than budding young linebacker Edgerrin Cooper.
Verse, meanwhile, is a two-time Pro Bowler at 25 years old and tallied 80 pressures as a second-year player in 2025.
The Cowboys used the Packers' 2026 first (No. 20 overall) to trade back for two fourth-round picks. They drafted UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence at No. 23 and used the fourths on Florida cornerback Devin Moore and Alabama defensive lineman LT Overton.
Dallas also used a 2027 first-round pick to acquire Jets star DT Quinnen Williams in November, four months after the Parsons trade. In the end, the Cowboys turned Parsons into five players: Williams, Clark, Lawrence, Moore, and Overton.
As great as Parsons is, a case can be made that the Cowboys are better off with those five players than one Parsons.
At the same time, Dallas should have gotten a lot more than what it did for one of the premier defenders in the sport. The Garrett blockbuster reinforced that all over again.
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